Today, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel and drive you to the Almaty Museum, where you can learn about the history of Almaty.

Then, head to the Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen in the northeast to pay your respect to the statue of 28 warriors.

Behind the statue stands the Ascension Cathedral (Zenkov Cathedral), the world’s second-tallest existing wooden structure.

Leaving the park, let’s dive into the bustling Green Bazaar (Zeleny Bazar), the largest market in Almaty.

Afterward, drive to the Medeu Gorge at the outer suburbs of the city. We’ll ride a cable car to the Shymbulak Ski Resort, the world’s highest ice skating rink at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,840 feet).

This morning, we will drive for about 3.5 hours to Basshi Village.

In the morning, we will continue exploring the park’s farthest point, the Aktau Mountains, once the bottom of an ancient dried-up ocean. Over time, large amounts of sediments have accumulated, and natural erosion has formed a unique geological structure, forming incredible canyons and gullies composed of banded sedimentary rocks of various colors.

Starting early this morning from Saty Village, the driver guide will drive you to the Kolsai Lakes, which consists of three lakes at different altitudes. Driving along the winding mountain road into Heavenly Mountains, the long and narrow Lower Kolsai Lake gradually comes into view. Enjoy a relaxed light hike around the lake and take in the stunning scenery.

After breakfast, we will drive to Charyn Canyon National Park again to explore the most popular Valley of Castles, named after its boulders that resemble ancient castles. Arriving at the entrance viewing platform, you can choose one of two routes for a round-trip hike in the Valley of Castles of about 2 hours: walking along the top or bottom of the canyon. It is recommended to choose the latter, which takes 40 to 50 minutes to walk along the nearly 3-kilometer (2-mile) flat trail to the end. Since the returning journey is by the original route, many tourists will take the shuttle minibus, but there may be a long queue due to a few vehicles. You can decide to take it or not according to your physical strength.